thought i'd just let people know what's going on in california in terms of
access to higher education. funding for outreach programs for the
university of california system (include state and UC campuses) was cut
unilaterally by the governor yesterday. these are programs that emerged in
response to Prop 209, which ended affirmative action; their purpose is
(was) to raise the academic readiness of students from low-income cities
and towns who go to under funded public schools. email below has details
(sent before the cuts were made official).
ben
>Dear Friend:
>
>On behalf of the Early Academic Outreach Program
>(EAOP) at the University of California, Berkeley, I
>thank you for the support you have provided to our
>program and for your efforts to help more students
>achieve their dreams of a college education. I write
>now because the funding that supports programs like
>EAOP is in jeopardy. GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER’S BUDGET
>PROPOSAL WILL ELIMINATE STATE FUNDING FOR EAOP AND ALL
>OTHER UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OUTREACH PROGRAMS
>EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2004. In July 2003, UC outreach
>programs lost 50 percent of its funding because of
>state budget cuts. Now the Governor proposes
>eliminating these programs entirely.
>
>SINCE 1975 EAOP HAS BEEN A LIFELINE FOR DISADVANTAGED
>STUDENTS SEEKING TO GO TO COLLEGE. These budget cuts
>threaten the college educations of more than 85,000
>EAOP students at more than 600 schools in California.
>Typically, these students attend schools in low-income
>areas where the majority of parents have not gone to
>college; for many, English is not their first
>language. EAOP participants represent nearly
>one-third of the historically underrepresented
>students at the University of California. EAOP is an
>effective, successful program, the elimination of
>which would place the college dreams of thousands of
>students at risk.
>
>SCHOOLS WILL LOSE ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR SERVICES THEY
>DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO PROVIDE. Programs like
>EAOP provide academic enrichment, test preparation,
>academic advising, and college-readiness services for
>students and their families. In addition, these
>programs provide valuable resources to schools and
>communities including free publications and workshops
>on college-readiness and financial aid.
>
>THE STUDENTS MOST AFFECTED BY THESE CUTS ARE THOSE
>MOST IN NEED OF THESE SERVICES. Without outreach
>programs, the college pipeline will close immediately
>for thousands of students who are working hard and
>excelling in school. EAOP alone serves more than
>85,000; many more are served by other UC programs and
>by similarly affected programs offered by the
>California State University. Of the EAOP students who
>entered UC as freshmen in 1998, more than 81 percent
>were still attending and working toward their degrees
>after three years—compared to 80 percent of all
>freshmen who entered that year. These students are our
>future leaders, and programs like EAOP help prepare
>them to take their rightful places in today’s global
>marketplace.
>
>Outreach programs like EAOP embody the idea that a
>university is judged not only by its academic
>excellence, but also by its public service. Cutting
>programs like EAOP will not close the budget gap that
>California faces (in fact, UC outreach accounts for
>less than 1% of the University’s state budget). But
>it will send a powerful message to the state’s most
>disadvantaged students that the state cares little
>about their future.
>
>I hope that you will support our efforts opposing the
>elimination of UC outreach. I have enclosed
>additional information about EAOP at UC Berkeley as
>well as contact information for the State Legislature,
>Governor Schwarzenegger, and University of California
>President Dynes. Please contact your Senator or
>Assembly member RIGHT AWAY to express your opinion
>about the proposed elimination of services to the
>youth of California.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Elizabeth Halimah
>Director
>Early Academic Outreach Program
>University of California, Berkeley
>(510) 642-1744
>
>
>--
>Teresa L. Arriaga
>Assistant Director for Academic Programs
>
>Early Academic Outreach Program
>University of California, Berkeley
>2150 Kittredge Street, Suite 3A
>Berkeley, CA 94720
>
>510.643.9696 (voice)
>510.643.5827 (fax)
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jan 01 2004 - 01:00:09 PST